Before Jesuit softball coach Jim Speciale took his team to Southern California, he freely admitted that the numbers on the scoreboard would be be the least of his worries.

“I really don’t care about the wins and losses early on in the season,” Speciale said. “We’re building for league play.”

Speciale’s roster for his 18th season leading the Crusaders includes one first team all-Metro League selection in Kelsey Downey, features just four seniors and faces some early uncertainty in position-player battles.

The ambiguity surrounding the team’s final roster makes Jesuit’s biannual trip south feel perfectly timed. After the Crusaders flew out on Friday, they headed to Riverside County in California for a six-game stretch between Saturday and Wednesday.

Jesuit played a series of three doubleheaders against Shadow Hills, Palm Desert and Indio, where the desert climate virtually eliminates the chance of rainouts that can be so prevalent early in Oregon's spring season.

The slate of guaranteed games gave Speciale six chances to tinker with alternate lineups that will provide a more concrete sense of his roster when for the beginning of league play in mid-April.

The team has versatility, with several players that can play multiple positions, according to Speciale. That flexibility is useful, but also shows the team is not yet cohesive position-to-position with a number of roster spots still undecided.

“Defensively, since we’re putting a lot of kids into new positions that haven’t been there before … we need them to grow up quickly,” Speciale said.

Speciale said the California trip offered be a chance for growth early in the season and an opportunity for his youthful team to bond.